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October, 2024

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Helping my Team get skis

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Frombrumtobrazil
Posts: 91 - Karma: 419
So i'm the freestyle captain for my uni ski society (university of Birmingham) and our biggest issue atm is that none of my guys have freestyle skis. Most are new to freestyle but are throwing themselves in and loving it. I am fortunate enough to have been able to work and save and buy myself a nice pair of freestyle skis and I let them use my old skis but thats only 2 pairs for like 30 people and only a couple can use mine as both are 185cm. The vast majority of them cannot afford skis as we have a lot of members from low income backgrounds and they are forced to use shitty broken Solomon S-max's as these are the only rentals available at the places we train (they also have a max DIN of 5 so pop off every 10 seconds). I've emailed a ton of companies and messaged a bunch on IG but the only ones that seem interested are US and Canadian 'core' companies with no market in the UK so they don't really want to sponsor us.
I was just wondering if anyone knew of any companies in Europe or the UK who might be keen to sponsor us and help my guys out, or if you are in the UK and might be willing to let some old skis go for cheap to allow these guys the opportunity to fall in love with freeskiing the way that I have.
The closest we've got has actually been newschoolers who seem keen to lend us a hand lol I love this community.

Before anyone says it we have been scouring marketplace and ebay but the society can't afford to buy any and most in the UK are massively overpriced and shit, though we do have a couple of leads I am trying to buy with my own money.

Any ideas let me know :)
Nov 23 2024 12:59PM
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BallClapper
Posts: 2697 - Karma: 9,992
Few options, start a go-fund me.

Don't know if you have any local shops but go there make friends with the folks that work there and see if they can connect you with any reps. Reps could give you really good discounts or even free stuff depending on who they are.

Probably done this but ask for donations of either equipment or money.

Vishnu recently started shipping to Europe and Emmet is super chill and helps folks out quite a bit. Though his skis are for a particular niche and are not for everyone.

Wish ya'll best of luck.
Nov 23 2024 3:08PM
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armchair_skier
Posts: 2308 - Karma: 29,067
There is a government program in the uk that will contribute to organizations that specialize in outdoor recreation

Can’t remember what it was called, just know everyone in the club needs to have a current skiing license to be eligible.
Nov 23 2024 3:21PM
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Frombrumtobrazil
Posts: 91 - Karma: 419
BallClapperFew options, start a go-fund me.

Don't know if you have any local shops but go there make friends with the folks that work there and see if they can connect you with any reps. Reps could give you really good discounts or even free stuff depending on who they are.

Probably done this but ask for donations of either equipment or money.

Vishnu recently started shipping to Europe and Emmet is super chill and helps folks out quite a bit. Though his skis are for a particular niche and are not for everyone.

Wish ya'll best of luck.


I messaged Vishnu through their IG but have emailed them aswell now thanks for the tip!
A go-fund-me crossed my mind but idk if we can do it for two reasons - firstly we are technically a subsidiary of our student union which is an absolutely useless organisation but has charitable status so i dont know if we are allowed to fundraise for our ski club specifically - and also the perception of skiing in the UK is that it is a very rich sport (it mostly is) so I dont know if we would get much donations.

Donations of equipment couldn't really work here either since there are very few people who own freestyle skis in the UK and i imagine those that do will hang onto them - you cant rent them at dryslopes so no-one is throwing out old skis.
Thanks for the help!!
Nov 23 2024 3:45PM
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Frombrumtobrazil
Posts: 91 - Karma: 419
armchair_skierThere is a government program in the uk that will contribute to organizations that specialize in outdoor recreation

Can’t remember what it was called, just know everyone in the club needs to have a current skiing license to be eligible.


Thanks for letting me know! I will try figure out what this is!
I don't know what a ski licence is or how to get one though lol
Nov 23 2024 3:46PM
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S.Ki
Posts: 2221 - Karma: 3,632
Ask a big ass company like K2 or Volkl as they probably are already in the UK market and they have the funds to support a sports team. Maybe they can even get a tax refund for supporting a sports team like yours with skis, but I don’t know enough about your club and the structures of it.
Find out who the reps for K2 or Volkl are for the UK and contact them!
Nov 23 2024 5:39PM
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armchair_skier
Posts: 2308 - Karma: 29,067
FrombrumtobrazilThanks for letting me know! I will try figure out what this is!
I don't know what a ski licence is or how to get one though lol


I think it’s just a basic skills test and you can prob do it at anywhere with a ski school. Make sure everyone has their skiers learners permit when you go to register for class
Nov 23 2024 6:02PM
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officechair
Posts: 248 - Karma: 1,979
I’m just drinking and thinking here. Might be able to get damaged or blemished skis from a large company. In general, large companies produce a lot of scrap in many industries so they might be throwing stuff out that is usable, but not sellable.

Can you set up a food stand outside a bar? Many bars in the US that don’t serve food will have a food truck outside. Something like brats and burritos always sells with a bar crowd.

Food stand on campus with PVC demo setup?
Nov 23 2024 6:19PM
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bennwithtwons
Posts: 1362 - Karma: 10,873
Hit up woodsy! That guy has so much love and energy for the sport. He might be able to get some support from sponsors or other industry connections, especially to help out the homies in the homeland
Nov 23 2024 11:13PM
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WoFIowz
Posts: 9790 - Karma: 72,412
Look into options with your university either through clubs sports or student activities. There's bound to be a pathway for funding if you pitch it the right way. Chances are you pay fees to both those things as part of tuition and don't even realize it. Look up the bylaws/process and ask around.
Nov 24 2024 1:24AM
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